Before a packed house of yellow and green clad Sonics supporters, the King County Council voted in favor of the proposed arena in the SoDo district 6-3.
The proposed arena by investor Chris Hansen aims to being a NBA team back to Seattle, and possibly a NHL franchise as well. It has come under fire, mainly from the Port of Seattle, that the arena will negatively upset the economics of the region.
In voting yes for the arena proposal, the King County Council now puts the squeeze on the Seattle City Council to put the arena proposal to a vote. Three council members: Larry Phillips, Reagan Dunn and Peter Von Reichbauer all voted no on the proposal citing monetary issues with the city, the location, and issues with the Port of Seattle.
Von Reichbauer was especially long winded, citing traffic concerns and incorrectly referring to the Golden State Warriors. Twitter was quick to the case to deride him.
Pete Von Reichbauer is now talking about the Panama Canal. I'm telling you, Mount St. Helens is next...
— Chris Fetters (@Chris_Fetters) July 31, 2012@kccouncil
After his filibuster, Pete Von Reichbauer finally votes "No."For a second there, I thought he was planning to declare war on Canada.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 31, 2012
The Seattle City Council has given no indication of when they will put the proposed arena to a vote.